I always like to sleep on a thought especially when it has me riled up. I attended the candidate forum last night with an open mind. I was looking forward to meeting the illusive Dustin Zacks.Last night he was practicing his go to the jugular technique. He was in full swing. Zacks came across as a bully and a punk. He should have no axe to grind with Waterman. She wasn't even there the night he got turned down for the CRB. IMO, he is a plant for the "other" side.
Getting into height limits in Lake Worth just proves to me that someone hired him to do the dirty. He insulted the majority in this City when he said, "This is a small town mindset, keeping the city two stories." Where did he come from? Who in the heck is he?
He is a young attorney who specializes in people losing their homes to foreclosures. He therefore "helps" people. He had zero empathy with Waterman who went through a foreclosure herself and who handled his gross insults very well. Who gave Dusty the dirty download? If this is how he treats people who he normally would help, then he is as two-faced as any attorney hired to win the game.
Sorry Zacks. I call it as I see it. I would just like to know who hired you. Usually it takes ten attorneys to screw in a light bulb. It only took one last night to screw a mother and our present Mayor. Not pretty. Not cool. And frankly I am very ticked off about it.
Politics has become extremely ugly in Lake Worth. Every year I learn something more. There is always an incident, a mailer or something that will give someone the top honors for slime. Zacks has won the Slime Ball Award hands down.
32 comments:
I always did hate lawyers.
Rachel held her own. She was knocked down but got herself back up like a trooper.
Dustin was very hard on Waterman and you can clearly see that he is angry. I don't know the guy and I don't know why he is so angry. I think he would have been more effective if he explained why he is so angry. The personal attacks don't work but real facts do. I am so tired of hearing the same answers to the same questions. Golden telling us that she supported business was an absolute lie. She has consistently voted to raise taxes and utility rates for local business and has done nothing in the past four years to make City Hall business friendly. That is a fact and it's part of her record as a commissioner. She refused to answer my question related to the substantial increase in taxes for business and our ability to be competive as a city. Instead she spoke about the tax increases for residential property. It's this type of refusal to be truthful about your record that gets me angry. There are enough real facts out there to go after a candidate and there is no need to get personal.
No doubt his attach was below the belt, but the fact is everything he said was THE TRUTH. We all have had hard times in our lives, but those with ethics and dignity try to own up to our debts while others, like Rachel, choose to turn their backs and let the rest of us pay their bills. If you believe someone hired this guy, then you would have to also admit that Jennings hired Rachel to do her dirty work b/c she knows no one would ever allow her back in City Hall. If you are going to call one spade a spade, then call them all.
Our City is already known for defaulting on its debts... do we really want a Mayor who obviously doesn't take her debt obligations seriously? Maybe we should all, as a City, choose not to pay our electric bills or property taxes... let's take the Rachel Waterman approach to our debts.
Attack someone on their record, not their personal life or problems that she has now overcome.
I have never diverted from that opinion. What he said may be the truth, but it was a personal attack.
Your obsession with Cara Jennings is just that, an obsession that has ZERO validity.
Cara is back in city hall. She is on the P&Z board. Waterman wasn't there for that appointment either.
Dustin Zacks has every right to express his opinion about someone's qualifications for pubic office. All the documents he had are public record as I have the same documents obtained through public records requests. To say someone hired him to attack Waterman deserves some factual backup that I do not see on this blog. If she can't take the heat, she shouldn't run.
Fact: There are numerous legal actions against Waterman throughout the State.
Fact: After Zacks filed to run, someone closely associated with his campaign received a call from a current elected official saying, in so many words, it would be better if he didn't run.
Fact: Waterman took credit for things that were a group effort, not her sole accomplishment.
Besides Lynn, there has to be someone to beat up before the election. I just don't think Dustin is going to ignore the attacks like Rammico did.
Yes, I agree. Dustin has every right to use whatever he has to go after a candidate. As previously stated, I do not agree with the PERSONAL ATTACK. She won last time and people understood. These same tactics were used then. You give credit to people who have picked themselves and have turned their lives around. You don't go beating them to a pulp for past, unfortunate episodes in their lives.
To bring up Ramiccio is a joke. Ramiccio was in the election to WIN. Zacks is there only to knock Waterman out of the race. He is not there to be our next mayor. He does NOT want to win. That was never his intent. BIG DIFFERENCE in the motivation. Dustin has nothing to lose. The only problem, as I see it is, it might just backfire on the people behind this who want Waterman out.
When Cara Jennings and Panto Tsolkas were put on the Planning & Zoning Board and Community Relations Board, the Commissioners making the selections were Golden, McVoy, and Mulvehill. There was no need for Waterman to be at the meeting because the choices were already made. But she made a big thing about leaving for the League of Cities meeting in Orlando very early on Friday morning just so she could be be at the interviews.
I agree that any one of us can have or have had tough times. The difference is the quantity of legal actions against Waterman and the pattern they show. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice - NOT!
Does she have current past-dues etc?
Sorry to say this because it is not what you want to hear and doesn't fit with your agenda, but the only person behind Dustin Zacks is Dustin Zacks. The truth is he is not someone who would allow himself to be used by anyone.
If you had listened to his opening statement, you would know that he had every intention to run for Mayor when he filed to run. At the time there was no one running against Waterman and he felt strongly that a change was needed and she shouldn't be unopposed. After calls from Waterman supporters questioning why he would challenge her and another person filing for Mayor, Dustin Zacks made up his own mind how to proceed. He obviously feels Ms. Triolo is a well qualified candidate and does not want to split the vote as happened in the last election.
Unsure about current past-dues. But when you don't pay rent, don't have utilities in your own name, don't pay property taxes and special assessments, it would be easier to avoid.
Dustin--Thanks for responding. I do NOT have an Agenda. You are the only one who does have an Agenda. Let's get the facts straight, at least in this regard.
Did everyone forget about the election where Mary Lindsey was running and the jerk that decided to run against her who was friends with one side and used public humiliation tactics? (That was disgusting to do to anyone)
Whats good for one side is good for the other regardless (NOT) however I think Zacks is simply lashing back....Lets face it...Politics SUCK and its why we should not torture ourselves every year with this crap.
Personal attacks is exactly why a majority of the people are just sick of it....Don't get Involved....and just fed up.
It would be great if the candidates can debate the issues and their records but keep the personal conflicts at home. That goes for National elections also!
Lynn, I think you're stretching it a bit to say that someone from "the other side" has trained him and is paying him to run for mayor.
It's certainly a bizarre state of affairs, but blaming other candidate's campaigns without proof of this, is incendiary and your opinion may be the very thing that ignites overt hatred in this campaign.
What if you're wrong, and the public starts to "hate" Triolo for doing something she hasn't done?
Is that fair?
He's an angry kid who's obviously done a lot of research and his immaturity has allowed him to do what he's doing...isn't that possible?
He is obviously angered by the fact that Peter Tsolkas was appointed over him to a Board.
I would be too...I wouldn't handle my anger the way he is but there you have it.
The conspiracy theory, I feel, is a volatile thing to put out there - unless you have proof of course.
You want to believe that he is just motivated with hatred because he was turned down on the CRB? He is a lawyer for heavens sake. Let's get real. If anger is the only motivation, then someone should slap his little behind, give him a lollipop and have him attack the issues: slum. blight, taxes (something he CAN blame on waterman), or anything relative to her performance.
People can see through things. I told Zacks last night that Waterman could end up with the sympathy vote over his actions. Triolo needs to back far, far away from this guy.
Anon @12:22 -
Don't forget when Cara called a news conference in Cultural Plaza to report the news that Scott Maxwell was a white supremacist. Or when Rene Varela was attacked for being a dolphin killer.
Absurd to the extreme and nasty as it gets.
Dustin Zachs is reporting factual stuff. How he's choosing to do it is pretty extreme, but nothing compared to what's happened in the past.
I agree that it was pretty clear Dustin is the only one behind Dustin. He obviously sees through Rachel's falsities and everything he said is true - all facts. Lynn - Ask yourself, what is Rachel's motivation? Do you really believe she is so altruistic? She moves into LW a few months ago, allegedly rents a house from a friend, has no history, no roots, and hopefully no future with LW, but has such an ego to run for Mayor. Everything she has done is so transparent. Her husband has a business in town now; again set up just months before her campaign. Seems so obvious that all her connections to LW have been staged for the sole purpose of adding 1 more controlling seat to our dias. They all claim we should be inclusive - unless of course you don't agree with their agenda, then it's screw you.
OK--it's really up to the mayor to fight her own battles here. I gave an opinion. Some will agree, others will not. That's the way it is in our little city. I can say one thing here, however, it is never that side of politics that ever gets mad enough--that would pull a Zack Attack. Yeah, John Jordan did something reprehensible several years back. He was condemned by his friends for doing so.
Agreed Anon 11:41 - All of those were not very shining bright moments in Lake Worth Election History!
And agreed Lynn. Triolo needs to stay out of the nasty and run a good hard fact hitting campaign....
This particular post is a very good example of how one subject can be discussed regardless of our differences of opinion. GREAT job to all!
Most of these NA's should register as political parties especially TRNA.
Its quite telling that Zachs is getting taken to task for doing nothing but repeating public facts that anyone of us can aquire thru public record but where was the uproar when Cara jennings stated her OPINION that Maxwell was a racist and Mulvehill held that sign stating her OPINION that Vellera was a dolphin murderer...DOUBLE STANDARD!
Also, i have never, ever thought about running for office but when I heard the mayor was running unoppossed i had a "I wouldnt be able to sleep at night if she has no opposition" moment....JUST LIKE ZACKS!! I just happenned not to act on my initial impulse......Zacks did, whats so hard to believe about that??
Zacks is truly an upstanding guy.
Lynn, I would like you to explain your comment that TRNA should register as a political party. How, specifically, are we political?
Last night we hosted a forum that was open to everyone in the community. We featured all of the candidates that were running for office. We allowed them to make open and closing statements and answer questions, as they saw fit, from people in the audience. Are we political simply because we chose not to censor the questions or candidates? At any time did one of the officers of TRNA advocate for one of the candidates over another?
The answer to both of those questions is NO. One could argue that we hosted a "political" event, simply because it has to do with a local City election. But to imply that we should register as a political party because we did so is quite a leap. Although you may not agree with the actions and words of some of the candidates, that does not mean that we are in any way responsible. I find your remark completely inappropriate and completely out of line with the topic at hand.
I think I said that MOST should register as a poltiical party ESPECIALLY TRNA. It was sarcasm. It sure beats Zacks' humor. I guess I had better keep my day job. :)
I attended I believe in having the facts. I was disturbed by Zacks deliver of those facts. I would like a bit of enlightenment on who is the
Mayors benefactor, her not having to pay for her housing. What will the gratitude pay back be?
Do You have a day job??????
Lynn, I rarely comment when my name appears in your posts or in comments offered by your readers, regardless of whether or not the post or comment is accurate, true, flattering or not. I'm not positive, but this may be the first time, However, I'm compelled to offer this comment today.
During the Playhouse debate for the 2008 election, Mr. Jordan and I were both running for the Commission District 2 seat held by Cara Jennings. Mr. Jordan, during his opening statement, revealed that he was the only candidate who had never been arrested. Everyone knew that Ms. Jennings had been arrested and charged with civil disobedience on numerous occassions and it was clear that his remark was directed at me.
I knew this was coming because one of Cara's friends who felt strongly that no one should be arrested for using drugs, including alcohol, called me earlier in the day and told me Cara's campaign had this information and had passed it on to Mr. Jordan as a "public service" and suggested it would create quite a row if it all came out on stage at the Playhouse. The person who called me asked me to not reveal his/her name ever and I won't.
As it happened that night, I was next in line after Mr. Jordan to give an opening statement and I admitted that it was true. Eleven years before then, I was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence. I also admitted that I had shared this information with everyone who endorsed my campaign BEFORE I would accept any endorsement.
I also shared the fact that the DUI was the best thing that ever happened in my life because it caused me to realize and admit that I WAS powerless over alcohol and only a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity and health. My driving under the influence put everyone else on the road that night at great danger and it is to my everlasting gratitude that there was no accident and no one else was involved except me. From that night to this day, 14 years later, one day at a time, I have not had a drink. That in NO way makes me any kind of a hero. Just a very lucky person who wised up in time.
At Mr. Jordan's next opportunity to speak that night, he apologized to me and revealed that he had been fed the information and was encouraged to use it to discredit me and my campaign. Cara, when she was next at the microphone, denied any responsibility for Mr. Jordan's knowledge of the event nor for his remarks that night.
I hear from Mr. Jordan every so often and I consider him a friend to this day. I admire him for putting his hat in the ring as often as he has and for his previous service as one of our Florida State Representatives. John "Jump" Jordan; the nickname coming from the fact that he has jumped into so many races :)),is a gentleman and deserves nothing but the respect due all our senior citizens, especially those still actively engaged in trying to make our City better.
Thank you Lynn, for allowing me to share my side of the story.
Thank you, Mary. I appreciate your sincerity here and your forgiving John. Did you get the photo?
Thank you Lynn for your view and heads up concerning Mr. Zacks.
I do not recall you ever using on your blog such strong adjectives to describe someone… Oh my!
What I love Lynn, you are always fair no matter who might be involved and as you have said,
“I call it as I see it.”
One certainly has to respect that! And I sure as heck do!
It is a good question… why does Mr.Zacks wish to be mayor?
I had occasion to ask him personally and he told me not once did he attend a commission meeting or listen online… so why?
Apparently he is unaware a slight stature need not be accompanied by an equally limited character. One does not become ‘more’ by trying to make someone seem ‘less’.
For Ms. Andersen to write someone is a bully and a punk, that individual has far more important
personal matters to address than running for office. Mr. Zacks, like the emperor, you have no clothes.
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